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2013-14 Fox New Series

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday May 22, 2013 @ 1:41pm PDT

2013-14 Fox New Series
New Comedies — Fall

Brooklyn Nine-Nine — From Emmy Award-winning writer/producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur (“Parks and Recreation”), and starring Emmy Award winners Andy Samberg (“Saturday Night Live”) and Andre Braugher (“Men of a Certain Age,” “Homicide: Life on the Street”), BROOKLYN NINE-NINE is a new single-camera ensemble comedy about what happens when a talented, but carefree, detective gets a new captain with a lot to prove. Detective JAKE PERALTA (Samberg) is a good enough cop that he’s never had to work that hard or follow the rules too closely. Perhaps because he has the best arrest record among his colleagues, he’s been enabled – if not indulged – throughout his entire career. That is, until the precinct gets a new commanding officer, Captain RAY HOLT (Braugher), who reminds this hotshot cop to respect the badge. Jake may have collared more criminals, but Detective AMY SANTIAGO (Melissa Fumero, “One Life to Live,” “Gossip Girl”) is close behind, and she’s keenly aware of how many arrests she needs to close the gap. Amy grew up with seven brothers who were all cops. She’s the first girl in the family to put on a police uniform, and suffice it to say: she’s extremely competitive…about everything. Also working cases in Brooklyn’s 99th precinct is Sergeant TERRY JEFFORDS (Terry Crews, “Bridesmaids,” “Everybody Hates Chris”), a linebacker of a man who’s lost his nerve, not because he’s a wimp, but because a year ago, his wife … Read More »

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Studios, USC Team To Ease Tech Headaches In Next-Gen Film, Video Production

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday May 22, 2013 @ 11:02am PDTTags: Entertainment Technology Center, USC

David Bloom is a Deadline contributor.
All six major Hollywood studios and a raft of major tech firms have joined to solve compatibility and other issues with next-gen “cloud computing” tools they are increasingly using to create, collaborate on, distribute, protect and archive movies and other media. Dell, EMC, Rackspace and EVault are among the big tech firms taking part. The Entertainment Technology Center at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts will manage the joint standard-setting effort, called “Production in the Cloud.” Ex-Sony Pictures tech executive Ken Williams, now the ETC’s executive director and CEO, said the studios are trying to avoid another round of format wars, such as those that dogged Hollywood with Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD or VHS versus Betamax. Such format wars bring “uncertainty, inefficiency, and confusion to the marketplace, and (slow) product adoption and business growth for all players,” Williams said. “This effort will work to avoid those pitfalls in the evolution of production.” The same cloud-computing revolution that has powered the rise of consumer online services such as Google Apps, Dropbox and Spotify is also transforming high-end services used in Hollywood such as editing video, sharing it with post-production and visual-effects companies and distributing the finished products to various outlets. The initiative also will develop standard formats for archiving films and providing security among other core functions.

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Barnes & Noble Shares Rise On Speculation About Deals And Changes For The NOOK

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Monday May 20, 2013 @ 3:26pm EDTTags: Barnes & Noble, Nook, Nook Tablet

Barnes & NobleThe book retail chain’s shares are up 8.1% in mid-afternoon trading, making it one of the day’s biggest gainers in the media pack. Barron’s appears to be largely responsible for the move after it seized this weekend on reports that Microsoft might be willing to pay $1B for Barnes & Noble‘s NOOK tablet and e-reader platform. “It’s possible Microsoft may bid for Nook or the whole company, and there could also be interest from Liberty [Media]” which already owns 17% of Barnes & Noble, Barron’s says. Deals could send shares up as much as 50% the magazine estimates. The Microsoft rumor took off two weeks ago after Techcrunch cited “internal documents” that confirmed an offer. That sent shares to a 52-week high of $23.71. But enthusiasm fizzled last week when website Insider Monkey reported that a “highly placed source inside Microsoft” said an acquisition “is not happening in the foreseeable future.” That hasn’t put speculation about a big deal to rest. Founder Leonard Riggio has said that he might make an offer for the retail stores, although he hasn’t made it yet. Meanwhile Techcrunch yesterday cited “a source close to the matter” who says that Barnes & Noble is preparing to add a web browser, email, and apps to the Nook Simple Touch e-readers — potentially a big boost in functionality for a $79 device. The company recently … Read More »

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Mignon Clyburn Takes Charge At FCC

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Monday May 20, 2013 @ 2:24pm EDTTags: FCC, Julius Genachowski, Mignon Clyburn, Tom Wheeler

The FCC Commissioner became Acting Chair — and the first women to run the regulatory agency — on Saturday taking the job just vacated by Julius Genachowski until the Senate (presumably) confirms President Obama’s choice to replace him, Tom Wheeler. “I see myself as a member of a relay team, running one of the middle legs,” Clyburn told FCC staffers today. “My job is to build on forward momentum, give the next teammate a running start, an improved position, and no matter what, my goal is not to drop the baton.” It could take months before she can pass that baton to Wheeler. The Senate likely will confirm him in tandem with a Republican to replace former Commissioner Robert McDowell who left the FCC on Friday. Presidents typically appoint someone recommended by the opposition leadership when there’s an FCC opening for the out party. But the Senate GOP has yet to make its pick. Leaders are seriously considering Duke University’s Michelle Connolly — a former FCC chief economist — Politico reports. Others being looked at include former Scripps Networks Chief Legal Officer A.B. Cruz, and Hill staff veterans Ray Baum and Neil Fried. Last week the U.S. Office of Government ethics disclosed that Wheeler — a former lobbyist who’s now an investor with Core Capital partners — said that if confirmed he would divest holdings in 78 companies including AMC Networks, Apple, Cablevision, CBS, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish … Read More »

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Zachary Levi To Make Broadway Debut In ‘First Date’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday May 20, 2013 @ 10:21am PDTTags: Broadway, First Date, Krysta Rodriguez, Zachary Levi

Zachary Levi will star opposite Krysta Rodriguez in First Date, a romantic musical comedy with a book by Gossip Girl’s Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The Broadway show begins performances July 9 and opens August 8 at the Longacre. Levi plays Aaron, who is set up on a first date with Casey (Rodriguez). As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds they are not alone on this date as Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons and the wait staff get into the act. Dinner is served with sides of Google background checks, fake emergency phone calls, supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents, who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines.

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Rupert Murdoch Compares Facebook To “Crappy MySpace” On IPO Anniversary

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday May 17, 2013 @ 4:48pm EDTTags: Facebook, Rupert Murdoch

“Look out Facebook!” the News Corp CEO wrote today in a tweet. “Hours spent participating per member dropping seriously. First really bad sign as seen by crappy MySpace years ago.” Easy to see why he’s still smarting over the “crappy” asset that he bought in 2005 for $508M and sold two years ago for $35M. But his warning also reflects the passion Facebook inspires among supporters and critics alike on the anniversary of its ill-fated initial public offering at $38 a share. The stock closed today at $26.25 — down 31.3% — and has been pretty much flat for more than five months. Bears say that Facebook can’t sustain its torrid growth as it faces potent competitors — including Google, Twitter and Tumblr —  and a shift among users from personal computers to advertising unfriendly small screened mobile phones and tablets. “Facebook is now scrambling to boost revenues through bigger ads that take over the entire screen,” BTIG’s Rich Greenfield notes today. He contrasts that to Google+, a social network that “is not out to harm the user experience through disruptive, annoying, spammy ads, they simply want the data to improve search and other products.” Read More »

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Upfront Market: Will Auto Makers Subsidize TV Networks’ Rising Programming Costs?

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday May 17, 2013 @ 11:27am EDTTags: Upfronts

This is a — and possibly “the” — key question for Big Media investors coming out of the major broadcast and cable networks’ upfront programming presentations this week. As the sales pitches wore on it became clear that execs plan to spare no expense to recover from a year of dreary ratings. There’ll be 25 new programs on the Big Four networks, up from 18 planned this time last year. What’s more, “all of the broadcast networks are moving toward year-round original schedules, less re-runs [and] more frequent ‘mini-events’,” Bernstein Research’s Todd Juenger says. He adds that networks continue to depend on star power — for example CBS landed Robin Williams for its sitcom The Crazy Ones and Turner enlisted off-camera help from Michael Bay (Transformers), Dick Wolf (Law & Order), Howard Gordon (Homeland), Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead), and Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI). “These guys don’t come cheap, and we presume they must participate significantly in the back-end,” Juenger says. Execs no doubt feel confident that their bets will pay off. For example, hit dramas could play well in international syndication. Mini-series also should appeal to streaming services including Netflix and Amazon where subscribers like to binge view.

But domestic advertisers still provide lions’ share of revenues for TV shows. And if networks are optimistic about that market, it has as much to do with whether they believe consumers will buy lots of cars as with the merits of what programmers put on the screen. “Auto represents about 13% of annual TV ad spend and is seen as a pivotal player in this year’s upfront,” says Janney Capital Markets’ Tony Wible. That may be good news for the networks: Car companies appear to be headed for a big year as the economy improves and consumers take advantage of today’s low interest rates. As a result, Wible says “the tone of the upfront was more in favor of the sellers than we had anticipated” — leading him to forecast “substantial CPM [unit cost] increases that will offset recent ratings losses.” UBS Investment Research’s John Janedis forecasts that cable CPMs will be up as much as 7% with the major broadcasters “slightly better,” although some advertisers will just shift dollars for late this year from the scatter market to the upfront “which will make the total dollars look a little better.” Read More »

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Live-Blog: CBS Upfront Presentation

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 15, 2013 @ 1:18pm PDTTags: CBS, Upfronts
Nellie Andreeva

The CBS upfront presentation today calls for a drinking game: How many times we’ll hear from the stage that CBS is No. 1? First off hammering out the message is the network’s head of sales Jo Ann Ross, who re-created Carrie Underwood’s infamous Grammy dress with messages touting CBS’ success and urging advertisers to buy projected on the bottom of her ball gown.

Related: CBS New Series Previews: Video

A pre-taped “One Year More” musical number featuring the cast of How I Met Your Mother transitioned onstage, featuring the quintet of actors, joined by a group of everyday folk carrying the departing show’s signature yellow umbrellas. Says CBS Corp CEO Les Moonves, “I’d like to see the cast of The Walking Dead do that.”

Moonves touted CBS’ ratings dominance this season in all sorts of ways, including in a form of a tweet: “Message easy. CBS wins everything. #dropthemic.”

The highlight of the presentation so far is the surprise appearance by David Letterman.

Touting the success of CBS’ drama series, Moonves said, “the place for drama is in primetime not at 7 AM the morning and 11:30 at night,” while images of Ann Curry’s tearful farewell on Today and of Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno flashed behind him.

Related: CBS 2013-14 Schedule Read More »

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Google: We Cooperated On ‘The Internship’ To Improve Computer Nerds’ Image

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday May 15, 2013 @ 12:48pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Google, The Internship

David Bloom is a contributor to Deadline

Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page said it was a concern for improving the image of computer programming that led the web giant to participate in filming Fox’s The Internship, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as unemployed salesmen who talk their way into coveted internships at the company. “I’m not sure we had a choice” about participating, Page said at Google’s I/O developer conference today. “Computer science has a marketing problem. We’re the nerdy curmudgeons. (But) the guy who plays the head of search [in the movie] is by far the coolest guy in the movie, and we’re really excited about that.” The comments came as Page talked of the need for better education and more computer programmers if the country is to remain competitive (the company also announced an initiative to make it easy for schools to buy and install educational apps on Google-powered tablets and computers). The Internship, directed by Shawn Levy, is set to debut June 7. Read More »

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Who Is Sony Investor Daniel Loeb And What Does He Want With It?

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 8:14pm EDTTags: Big Deals Film, Big Deals TV, Daniel Loeb, Kazuo Hi, Sony, Third Point

The billionaire founder of hedge fund Third Point startled many in entertainment today with the news that he has paid $1.1B for a 6.4% stake in Sony – and wants the company to create a stock for its movie, TV, and music businesses, selling as much as 20% to the public. But on Wall Street, where Daniel Loeb is an A-list celeb, the big surprises are that he showed any interest in showbiz — and that his language in the letter he sent to Sony was so polite. As a value investor managing more than $13B, Loeb, 51, likes to engage in deep research and then bet on relatively boring companies and assets that others overlook. Third Point’s most recent quarterly investor letter highlights its holdings in International Paper and mortgages, as well as John Malone’s European cable company Liberty Global. Although Loeb was raised in Los Angeles, the son of a lawyer and an historian, he’s known as a New Yorker. He earned an economics degree from Columbia University before he hit Wall Street. After working 12 years for firms including Citibank, Jefferies and Warburg Pincus, he founded Third Point in 1995 with about $3M from family and friends. Read More »

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ABC Pitches Streaming And Audience Measurement Plans To Ad Buyers

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 5:06pm EDTTags: ABC, Upfronts, WATCH ABC

UPDATE, 3:00 PM: ABC has released some additional info about its role in the trial to expand Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings to mobile devices. The pilot will run through the summer, and the network says the data will enable ABC to determine “audience demographics and understand the reach and frequency of online campaigns across ABC content on the web and in mobile apps.” ABC Sales President Geri Wang calls it “a significant next step in allowing us to help advertisers see the whole picture and make our ABC Unified offering even more compelling.” Nielsen will measure exposure to video and display ads for apps that run in Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

PREVIOUS, 2:06 PM: ABC execs used their upfront presentation today to offer their version of the we-love-technology theme that we heard yesterday from NBC and Fox: In this case, the network is touting the planned WATCH ABC streaming service, and a new initiative with Nielsen to measure viewing on mobile apps. The Disney-owned network offers “a complete video solution” that combines the “scale of linear TV with the power of our on-demand audience,” … Read More »

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UPDATE: Starz Play Extends Streaming Support To Kindles

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 11:40am EDTTags: Starz, Starz Entertaiment, Starz Play

UPDATE, 8:40 AM: Now we can add the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD to the devices that can receive Starz Play, Encore Play, and Movieplex Play programming from participating distributors. The new apps are available for free at the Amazon Appstore for Android. Read More »

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Fox 2013-14 Schedule: Comedy Block And ‘Bones’ On Friday, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Monday

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 5:00am PDTTags: Fox
Nellie Andreeva

Male-friendly new comedy and drama series dominate Fox‘s new series picks. Fox is launching six new series in the fall — comedies Dads, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Enlisted and dramas, Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human — and one reality series, Junior Masterchef. Midseason will be as important with six new shows slated to unspool then: comedies Surviving Jack, Us & Them and animated Murder Police, dramas Rake and Gang Related and event series Wayward Pines, from M. Night Shyamalan. Without further ado, here is Fox’s 2013-14 schedule, with analysis and new show descriptions below it:

FOX FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8-9 PM Bones (fall) / ALMOST HUMAN (late fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (fall) / The Following (midseason)

TUESDAY
8-8:30 PM DADS
8:30-9 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
9-9:30 PM New Girl
9:30-10 PM The Mindy Project

WEDNESDAY
8-10 PM The X Factor (fall) / American Idol (midseason)

THURSDAY
8-9 PM The X Factor Results (fall) / American Idol Results (midseason)
9-10 PM Glee (fall) / RAKE (midseason)

FRIDAY
8-9 PM JUNIOR MASTERCHEF (wt) (fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW encores (fall)

Late Fall:
8-9 PM Bones
9-9:30 PM Raising Hope (late fall)
9:30-10 PM ENLISTED (new; late fall)

SATURDAY
7-10:30 PM Fox Sports Saturday
11 PM-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF

SUNDAY
7-7:30 PM NFL Game (fall)
7:30-8 PM The OT (fall)
8-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Bob’s Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10 PM American Dad Read More »

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Alex Kapp Horner Exits New Fox Comedy Series ‘Surviving Jack’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday May 12, 2013 @ 6:14pm PDTTags: Alex Kapp Horner, Bill Lawrence, Fox, Surviving Jack
Nellie Andreeva

Another newly picked up comedy series is recasting its female lead. Alex Kapp Horner is leaving the Bill Lawrence-produced half-hour Fox comedy Surviving Jack. Based on Justin Halpern’s book I Suck At Girls, the single-camera comedy tells the story of a boy becoming a man, and a man becoming a father, in a time before coming of age was something you could Google. It centers on a father, Jack Dunlevy (Chris Meloni), and his teen son Frankie (Connor Buckley). Horner played Jack’s wife in the pilot. Other new comedy series that are recasting their female leads include NBC‘s The Family Guide (Parker Posey) and Sean Saves The World (Lindsay Sloane).

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YouTube Unveils First 30 Paid Channels

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 3:00pm EDTTags: Sesame Street, YouTube

Sesame Street and Young Turks are among 30 YouTube services that, beginning today, will offer content to people who pay a subscription fee following a 14-day free trial period. They’ll cost an average of $2.99 a month, payable via credit card or Google Wallet, and some will go for as little as 99 cents, says YouTube Director of Content Partnerships Malik Ducard. Some will also have ads, but a majority won’t. Google will collect about 45% of the subscription and ad revenue. Most of the content will be available on demand but Ducard says the initiative will accommodate live transmissions. In addition, content providers can choose where among 10 countries they’d like to distribute their material. Others are expected to also launch subscription services on YouTube using what Ducard calls a “self-service” model. Sesame Street will start off providing full episodes of the TV show. YouTube lists participating channels here. The list includes Rap Battle Network, Baby First Plus, BIGSTAR Movies, Big Think, DHX Junior TV, Cars.tv, I Love Docs Channel, Gravitas Movies, HD Net, National Geographic Kids, Nelvana’s Treehouse Direct, (Roger) Corman’s Drive-In, DocuRama, NuestroPix, Gay Direct, PrimeZone Sports, Acorn TV, Laugh Factory VIP, PGA Digital Golf Academy, and UFC Select.

Related: Will Indie Distributors Hit It Big With Paid YouTube Channels?

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Fox Picks Up Andy Samberg & Chris Meloni Comedies, ‘Us & Them’ And ‘Enlisted’, Almost Doubles New Series Volume

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 7:15pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Big Deals TV, Chris Meloni, Fox, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

Having just ordered its new drama series for next season, Fox also has made its comedy pickups, ordering four new shows in addition to the previously ordered Dads, executive produced by Seth MacFarlane. They are the Andy Samberg starrer, now titled Brooklyn Nine-Nine; Surviving Jack starring Chris Meloni; Enlisted starring Geoff Stults; and Us And Them starring Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel. All have received 13-episode pickups. Additionally, the order for the Seth Green-Giovanni Ribisi starrer Dads, originally for 6 episodes, has been upped to 13. The new comedies join newly picked-up dramas Rake, Gang Related, Sleepy Hollow, and Almost Human. That is five new comedy series and four dramas, almost double the number of new scripted series Fox picked up last year (three comedies, two dramas). With American Idol on its last legs, the network clearly is stocking up on the scripted side and expanding its push in live-action comedy. Studio-wise, four of the new shows came from Fox sibling 20th TV, two each from Warner Bros and Sony and one from Universal TV.

Fox’s four new half-hour series choices came out of the five half-hour pilots that had been in contention from the get-go. Over the past week or so, the fifth, To My Future Assistant, began to fade as I hear it came in below exceptions. Meanwhile, Surviving Jack (formerly I Suck At Girls) has been steadily rising, buoyed by what I hear were stellar testing results for Meloni. The former Law & Order: SVU star originally turned down the project, and it took a lot of effort on the part of the producers to get him to do it. It was all worth it as the actor helped secure the pilot a series pickup. Also playing in the pilot’s favor is the fact that Surviving Jack comes from veteran comedy showrunner Bill Lawrence. It is shaping up to be a strong pickup season for Lawrence, whose NBC comedy pilot Undateable also looks very good to get a series order, along with Second Floor on TBS. Fun fact: Fox is reuniting Cougar Town co-creators Lawrence and Kevin Biegel, who is behind another newly picked-up comedy series, Enlisted.

With the pickups, Fox has a total of eight new and returning comedy series on tap for next season. Four of them are guy half-hours — cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine (formerly Schur/Goor), Army comedy Enlisted, Dads and Surviving Jack — and female/family series New Girl, The Mindy Project, Raising Hope and Us And Them. While Us And Them, about a couple navigating their family and friends, would fit seamlessly into Fox’s existing Tuesday comedy block, it is unclear what the network would do with its guy shows, which could stand on their own as a block or get scheduled around Fox’s male-skewing Sunday animated comedies. Fox’s comedy pilots that didn’t make the cut are Assistant, Two Wrongs and The Gabriels. Overall, Fox didn’t throw curve balls in its series orders this season, largely sticking with pilots that had emerged as frontrunners. Here are descriptions of Fox’s new comedy series along with first-glimpse photos:

Related: PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Rumor Mill

Related: Fox Picks Up Dramas ‘Rake’, ‘Gang Related’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ And ‘Almost Human’
Read More »

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Liberty Media CEO Foresees Cable Mergers But Remains Coy About Charter’s Plans

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 12:20pm EDTTags: Barnes & Noble, Big Deals TV, Charter Communications, Greg Maffei, Liberty Media, Nook Tablet, Sirius XM

It’s natural to wonder whether Liberty Media Chairman John Malone’s new acquisition of 27.3% of Charter Communications is merely Step One in a plan to make him a U.S. cable titan — the role he played until 1999 when he sold Tele-Communications Inc to AT&T. And while Liberty CEO Greg Maffei doesn’t predict that, he also didn’t rule it out today in a quarterly earnings call with analysts. He says that cable “could be in for a round of consolidation” at a time when it’s so inexpensive to borrow money and large companies covet opportunities to cut costs — for example by negotiating lower prices from programmers. He cryptically adds that even though Charter can do just fine as a stand-alone entity, “we’ll see” whether it ends up being “a consolidator or condolidatee.” Liberty’s stock purchase agreement gives it the right over time to raise its stake to 40%. Will it do so? “We’ll see what time holds,” Maffei says. Read More »

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Google Celebrates Saul Bass’ Birthday With Jazzy Video Doodle

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 5:38am PDTTags: Google, Saul Bass

In one of its most elaborate doodles to date, Google has crafted a snappy animated tribute to famed film title designer Saul Bass (check it out here). Oscar winner Bass, who would have been 93 today, was known for his jazzy title sequences for such films as The Man With The Golden Arm and West Side Story, and for his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock on Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho. Later in his career, he worked frequently with Martin Scorsese. He died in 1996.

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Leading Chinese Search Engine Pays $370M For Online Video Service

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 7 May 2013 10:23 UKTags: Baidu, China

Baidu, China’s answer to Google, has acquired the online video business of web-based broadcaster PPS for $370M. PPS’ online video business, which includes Asian and American programming, will be folded into Baidu’s TV and and movie portal iQiyi. The NASDAQ-traded Baidu said the combined entity will be China’s largest online video platform by number of mobile users and viewing time. The deal is part of ongoing consolidation in China’s vast online entertainment market where video sites compete with traditional broadcasters. Last year, rivals Youku and Tudou merged in a $1B deal that created the leader in online TV, and last month, Internet giant Alibaba spent $586M to acquire an 18% stake in Weibo, China’s version of Twitter. The PPS deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013.

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